CAUT Statement on December 6

On this National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, we remember the École Polytechnique massacre, where 14 women were murdered in Montreal in 1989 because they were women. CAUT and its members stand strong against any form of violence women experience in their lives.

Last year the federal government launched a much needed national investigation into missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls in our country. We hope this national effort will lead to solutions on the road to reconciliation with the First Nations, Metis and Inuit people.

Many more concrete actions need to be taken to address violence against women in Canada. Research shows that 51% of Canadian women under the age of 16 experience at least one incident of sexual or physical assault and that young women under the age of 25 experience the highest incidence of intimate partner violence.

We need to address the gender-based violence on our campuses through education and prevention. Employers, unions, advocates and governments must work together to develop good policy and provide services to victims of violence.